QUETTA: The Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences was closed on Friday for an indefinite period, after clashes on campus between law enforcement personnel and students left at least four police officials and three students injured.

The administration announced the closure and vacated hostels, notifying that educational activities at the university would remain suspended for an indefinite period and the university would be closed “due to inevitable circumstances” till further orders.

The notification did not mention the reason that led to the closure.

During the clashes, students hurled stones at the police while the latter fired teargas shells and bullet shells in the air in an attempt to disperse violent protesters.

According to reports, students had been protesting for past several days against the administration for cancelling their study tour and demanding that medicines be made available at university clinic.

They postponed their protest during the recent visit of Balochistan Governor Malik Abdul Wali Khan Kakar on the administration’s assurance that their issues would be resolved after his tour.

However, students claimed the administration after the visit, refused to accept their demands, which compelled them to stage a sit-in on the campus on Thursday evening. They closed the varsity gates barring entry and exit. Subsequently, the administration called the police to get the gates opened. When a police contingent arrived and attempted to reopen the locked gates, students threw stones at them while police resorted to firing teargas shells.

Three dozen students held

Due to teargas shelling, at least three students fell unconscious. They were rushed to a nearby hospital while police arrested a number of protesting students, students claimed.

Shaukat Baloch, a student, said that police have arrested over three dozen students from the university premises.

Lasbela SSP Naveed Alam claimed four police personnel were injured when protesting students pelted them with stones as they were attempting to reopen the gates. A spokesman for police said the students of the agriculture faculty of Lasbela University staged a protest against the varsity administration over the cancellation of their study tour.

He said the protest escalated only when students forcibly blocked the university’s main entrance, barring entry to and exit from the university.

In view of the ‘illegal act’, the spokesman said, Uthal SDPO, Uthal Thana SHO and Lasbela additional deputy commissioner held detailed discussions with the protesting students to address their concerns and fulfill their demands as per the established procedures of the university. However, despite six hours of continuous discussion, students continued their protest and resorted to violence by pelting stones at people as well as police.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2023